Mt. Lebanon Commission reorganizes with new president
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Andrew Flynn thanks Mindy Ranney for her service as Mt. Lebanon Commission president during 2021.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Commissioner Craig Grella takes his oath of office, administered remotely by Senior Magisterial District Judge Blaise Larotonda.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Trasurer Joseph Senko takes the oath of office, administered remotely by Senior Magisterial District Judge Blaise Larotonda.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
As his daughter Alexa holds the Bible, Commissioner Steve Silverman is sworn in by Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge Alexander Bicket.
Mt. Lebanon Commission rotates presidents on an annual basis, and Andrew Flynn’s turn is in 2022.
“This comes at a transformational point for our community,” he said during the annual commission reorganization meeting on Tuesday, during which his colleagues unanimously approved his leadership role.
He cited the continuing challenges of coping with COVID-19 amid the municipality undertaking a major revitalization project in the Uptown Business District and the commission pursuing an “increased focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Flynn, who represents Ward 5 on the commission, succeeds Ward 1’s Mindy Ranney as president.
“Commissioner Ranney has brought her heart to this role and led the commission exceptionally well during a very turbulent period,” Flynn said prior to presenting her with a gift on behalf of the entire commission.
In accepting his position, he said commissioners “have a unique responsibility to embrace the community that we are, while also setting our eyes to the future, and guide the strategic efforts of the municipality to ensure that Mt. Lebanon continues to be the vibrant community that we all love.”
“This is a daunting task, but one that I firmly believe that this commission is ideally suited to accomplish,” Flynn added. “Each of the commissioners brings a unique perspective and a robust talent to this table. You are passionate and intelligent and care deeply about Mt. Lebanon, and I look forward to working with each of you to help build the future of our community.”
Also on Tuesday, the two commissioners who were re-elected to four-year terms – Steve Silverman, Ward 2, and Craig Grella, Ward 4 – took their oaths of office, as did Joseph Senko as treasurer.
Silverman first was elected to the commission in 2013 and Grella, 2017.
Originally appointed treasurer eight years ago to succeed the late John Ferguson, Senko continues to serve the municipality and numerous other organizations as an octogenarian, and he still works part-time as an internal auditor for First Catholic Slovak Union, a fraternal benefit society. He and his wife, Albina, have lived in Mt. Lebanon for more than 50 years.
A certified public accountant and personal financial specialist, Senko ran his own accounting firm for three decades, starting in 1970, before joining another firm, which became McKeever Varga & Senko, as a partner.
His past leadership roles include chairmanship of the Pennsylvania State Board of Accountancy and presidency of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs, Western Pennsylvania Community Accountants, Mt. Lebanon Public Library board, Fraternal Societies of Greater Pittsburgh and West Jefferson Hills Chamber of Commerce.
Senko established an endowed scholarship fund at Duquesne University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, for accounting students with financial need. The balance was $497,435.75 as of June 30.
In 1998, Senko was named honorary consul for Pennsylvania by the Slovak Republic, just half a decade after the country’s formation following the peaceful dissolution of the former Czechoslovakia.
The same year, he founded the Western Pennsylvania Slovak Cultural Association, most organization of its kind in the United States, and has served as executive director since.
He has been presented with the Slovak government’s Presidential Medal, its highest award bestowed on foreigners, and on 12 different occasions awarded a medal by an official from Slovakia for outstanding work.
And of particular interest, he parachuted from 13,500 feet during the annual Štefan Banic Skydiving Festival in Greenville, an event honoring the Slovakian immigrant (1870-1941) who patented the first parachute ever deployed in actual use.